I feel sorry for the Rangers. 5-0-2 in their last 7, I believe now they are 8-2-2 in their last 12, and are clicking on almost every cylinder. They get a true #1 performance from Marek Malik, Jason Strudwick looked like an NHL defenseman (*shudders*), Henrik gets an easy shutout, Jagr scoring goals, and the best player on the ice is a 21 year old rookie from Alaska. So now, we get the trade deadline. Ugh. What could have been a real chance to make some headway in the future (see my post about what I would do if I were GM a little below) they really are forced into being cautious and may not make a single move.

Yes, that’s right folks, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we did not make a single trade this Tuesday. I could also see us trying to get that one last defensive piece (Salei? Boyle? Campbell? Jackman? Kaberle?) to get us over the top. But right now, I just don’t see us making a huge move to get a forward. Really, there is no need. Colton Orr is out, Petr Prucha is out, and we still look great out there.

One thing is for sure, this Tuesday is going to be very very interesting. I myself will be actively hitting the refresh button every 10 seconds on the TSN website, and enjoying ridiculously long load times on some of my favorite hockey websites and message boards. Is there anything more fun than the NHL trade deadline? Ok, sure, the NHL playoffs, but still, this is the most fun you can have without there actually being a game to watch.

Getting back to this game, I personally felt they chose the wrong #1 star. While Henrik was quite good, he really didn’t have to bust his ass to earn this shutout. It was a relatively easy 8th shutout for the year. The real #1 star was none other than our very own Benedict Arn….err…Marek Malik. I kill the guy when hes off, but you also gotta be willing to give the guy credit when he’s on. Outside of one putrid giveaway a few games ago (I can’t remember which game at the moment, but I want to say Buffalo) hes been a rock in his own zone. Hes been playing the angles perfectly, making perfect tape to tape outlet passes to spring the offense, and hes been *gasp* physical. Did you see him knock the Panther player into the net and give him a few extra shoves? How about 2 pretty strong hits against the boards. Yowza, where has this Malik been all year?

Rangers Review | Comments Off

Is it possible that Mr. Jagr has turned the….umm, has reached a turning….um…has started to pick up his play for the stretch run? it sure appears that way. Even without Doobzilla Jagr was carrying the play when the puck was on his stick. A lot of that, I’m sure, is because of the ineptitude of this depleted Panthers team, but these are still NHL players, and Jaromir is still doing special things. I mentioned this earlier in the season, it’s mental with Jagr, when he thinks he can play like a beast, he plays like a beast, when he thinks he can’t he doesn’t. It’s not a question about laziness as much as its a question about confidence. When he has it, hes still a very special player.

Big 3rd period here, Rangers need to have a solid 60 minute effort going into Tuesdays trade deadline, especially for bubble players who may be traded (Dawes, Callahan, Hossa, Strudwick (bubble ECHL in his case), Hollweg, Malik, Mara (injured), Prucha(injured) all have to be worried for their jobs, and need to show Glen Sather why he should keep them).

Rangers Review | Comments Off

The Rangers worst enemies are themselves. Good thing today they defeated themselves…wait, what the hell? Let me start over again. Yes, the Rangers worst enemies are themselves, because they play down to their opposition far too often. Tonight it looks like they came out with blinders on. Meaning they played as well as they could play, regardless of who the other team is. They need to keep doing that, and I need to work on my comparisons.

Rangers Review | Comments Off